In Each Other's Shadow
by Lev Bellap
Summary: Vulpix just got Riolu back, but shortly after she fall's victim to a fatal sickness. Meanwhile, a mysterious dark threat vows revenge for what they did. Will they be able to overcome these challenges, and at the same time manage their developing feelings for each other? A blazingaura ship that entails humor, adventure and romance...Or at least it tries to :P
1. Chapter 1: Back at the Bluff

_Not much action on this part, just a prologue to explain everything and all that mushy stuff. The following events take place a few months after the events in _

_Temporal Tower, and before the events with Darkrai._

**Chapter One: Back at the Bluff**

_CRASH! CACKLE-BOOM!_

The night sky lit up as lightning flashed around it. Huge waves crashed against the base of Sharpedo Bluff. However, these things didn't bother the two Pokemon there.

**RIOLU'S POV**

I went to the opening on our little room in the Bluff. _Man, this storm just came out of nowhere_, I thought. _At this rate, we'll have tons of missions for lost __items._ But missions weren't my primary concern right now. I looked back at my partner - there she was, sleeping on her little patch of hay. She looked so peaceful now while she slept, but I knew that wouldn't last long. Her fever was getting worse. In the morning she'll be coughing again, and she'll have headache after headache.

Three days ago, on a mission to capture the wanted outlaw Tyranitar, Vulpix suddenly collapsed. We canceled the mission immediately, and used our Escape Orbs. As soon as we got back in Treasure Town, I went to Wigglytuff's Guild to see if anyone knew anything about it. So far, no one knows what happened to her and why she got sick. And now, three days later, she's worse than before...and I don't think it will stop anytime soon. It's gotten so bad to the point that she couldn't do any missions anymore. I was worried about Vulpix. I mean, _really_ worried. Vulpix was important to me. Yeah, I know we're partners as an exploration team and all that, but to me she meant more than that, though I've always been afraid to tell her. Ever since that fateful day I woke up at the beach, she's been there for me, and I hope I can say I for her. I really wanted to tell her how I really felt about her, about how much I liked her, but I was scared of what she might think. What if she doesn't feel the same way to me? Will we stop being friends? Will stop as a team altogether? Maybe she already likes someone else. We have met several Pokemon along our journey worthy of her..._Stop it_, something inside me said. _You're overreacting_. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. No use thinking about all this right now...tomorrow I'll see what I can find out about what happened to her. I went back to sleep with silent tears in my eyes...

**VULPIX'S POV**

*yawn* "...Morning Riolu...", I said, not opening my eyes yet. I coughed a bit, and after a while I noticed no one answered back. "Riolu?" I was a little more alert now, thinking something happened to him, but the headache I had was horrible. I carefully stood up, each movement making the pounding in my head worse. I slowly walked over to his bed, each step a challenge.

When I finally reached it, I saw a note with my name on it. I gingerly opened it.

(Author's Note: it was written in pawprints, much like Grovyle's letter)

_Dear Vulpix,_

_ I've gone to Treasure Town to see what I can find out about your fever. I'm worried about you...Stay in the Bluff and rest for today. There are some Big Apples in the cupboard(my personal stash) if you're hungry...Please get well soon._

_P.S. Sorry if I scared you by not being there when you woke up._

_ Love, Riolu_

I smiled as I read the letter. He always did have a way with words that made me feel positive again. He'll make sure I'm okay...I'm was sure of it. I could always trust Riolu. He would never let me down. While I was reading the letter, I thought of how he genuinely cared for me. For a moment, I dared to think that maybe, just maybe, he felt about me the same way I felt for him. However, I knew he probably didn't. He was such a great Pokemon, he could have whoever he wanted. Why would he choose me? He probably only sees me as a good friend...He doesn't even know of how much I missed him when he faded away, of how much I cried. I was so depressed then...the only thing I could do was tell any Pokemon I could about him, to make sure his legacy is preserved. When he came back...Nothing could explain how happy I felt. I felt as if a broken part of me was made whole again, like he completed me somehow. I slowly made my way back to my bed, and tried to sleep, unaware of the presence that lurked in the shadows.

**RIOLU'S POV**

I stood in the spot above our room in the Bluff. I looked down at the ocean, its waves crashing against the bottom. _Man, if I just ranted about the sea, I __could pass as Dugtrio_, I thought. I looked up and watched the sun as it rose above the horizon. I realized how much it reminded me of her, it's fierce heat, and how it gave light to the darkness. I looked away, fearing that I might lose myself in my thoughts again. I headed to the Kecleon Shop.

"Welcome to Kecleon Shop!," the green Kecleon sang. "How may we help you?"

"Hey Kecleon,"I replied, " Do you have anything that could help Vulpix?"

As soon as I said this, the cheer went out of him. His face darkend "Ah yes, Miss Vulpix is quite ill, isn't she? It seems like the whole town is worried."

"Yeah...Do you know anything about it? Everyone says they haven't seen anything like it before."

"No, I don't...I'm sorry," he said. But he then quickly looked away, and pretended to sort out items in a nearby chest. I had a feeling he wasn't telling me something.

"Kecleon? Do you know something about it? Please Kecleon, you must tell me! What happened to Vulpix?"

Kecleon sighed. He dropped the things he was sorting out, and looked at me.

He said, "I didn't want to tell you this now, but here goes. In my younger years before I settled down in Treasure Town with my brother, I traveled to many places and explored countless dungeons myself, setting up shop inside so that exploration teams like you could replenish your supplies and maybe get rid of a few things. Anyways, throughout these travels, I have seen and heard of many strange things. One of them was the Incuratus virus."

"Incuratus virus?"

"Yes...it was said to strike suddenly and randomly at certain Pokemon. Whoever who caught it at first immediately fainted, as Miss Vulpix did. Then, they develop a fever, along with headaches. Then, a couple weeks later..." He looked at me, and then did the thing I feared most he would do - he looked down and shook his head.

"Oh no..."

I could hardly breathe now, my mind swirling with the possibility of losing her...forever.

"Kecleon", I managed to say, "did any of those Pokemon make it?"

"Sadly no...well, there were rumors that a certain Roserade was able to heal some of them. I've heard that she now lives in a place called Fiore Island."

"Fiore Island..."I frowned. "I haven't heard of it before...Kecleon, do you know where it is?"

Kecleon thought hard. Suddenly, his face lit up."Wait a moment", he said, and went to the back of his shop. However, I wasn't going anywhere, if he could show me where Fiore Island was. I was terribly worried of Vulpix right now.

"Where is...Maybe it's in...Then again..." Kecleon was mumbling to himself while he rummaged through his things.

"Ah! Here it is!" he shouted delightfully. he brought out an old-looking Wonder Map, half-eaten by Dustox and the edges jagged from use.

"This was an old Wonder Map an exploration team long ago gave me shortly before they retired. I believe it was from a Luxray and an Espeon...Ah, they were such a good couple."

I cringed as he said this. "Kecleon...the map?"

"Ah yes I'm sorry. It's just, you guys remind me so much of them." I blushed at this, but quickly looked down at the Wonder Map to hide my face.

"Okay, this is Treasure Town..." He pointed to the map where we were "...and this is Fiore Island." I looked at the Map and quickly copied the location to mine just as the clouds in it parted. I could now go to Fiore Island!

"Yes! Thank you Kecleon!" I was full of energy now, ready and willing to do anything to save my dear Vulpix.

Kecleon then grinned like a kid. "You know...", he said. "I'll let you keep the original map...for a price."

But by now I didn't care if it cost my entire savings in Duskull Bank...Vulpix meant more to me than life itself. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her because of my own selfishness.

I ran back to Sharpedo Bluff, anxious to tell Vulpix that I might be able to get her cured.

"Vulpix!" I called out, but I got no answer. _Hmm, she might still be sleeping,_ I thought. I quickly went inside, but all I found in her bed was a letter, saying:

"_I have Vulpix. She is unharmed, but not for long. You will pay for all your meddling. We will be waiting for you on top of Mt. Mistral."_

I looked around, hoping that whoever left it was still there. But of course, no one was to be found. I looked at the letter again, and gazed outside as the sun was setting.

"Don't worry Vulpix...I'm coming for you.", I said, just as the last rays of the sun died out and darkness covered the land once more for the night.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything affiliated with it, nor do I intend to. If I did I'll be too busy thinking of a reason why Ash is still 10 to write any of this.**_

**Yes, I know...Needs more action. Don't worry, I'll get to that part _really_ soon. For now though, whether or not I will be able to write new chapters depends entirely on school -.- Just hope that there'll be plenty of boring classes...Fanfic Friday FTW! XD**

**Review if you wish. Liked it? Say a simple thanks and I'll be happy you enjoyed it :) Didn't like it? Now's your chance to tell me what I did so I can fix future updates ;) Neutral? Meh, at least it helped pass some time :P**

**_Good day(or night) to all! XD_**


	2. Chapter 2: An Old Friend

_Woah it's been quite a while since the last story, sorry guys. Ya know...school and all that. Actually I didn't expect it to get so many views...Thanks to all of you for your support! XD And now without further ado, enjoy!_

**Chapter Two: An Old Friend**

The very next day, I got up quite early to make preparations; an easy feat considering I stayed up all night worrying about Vulpix. I rushed to the

surprisingly open Kangaskhan Storage. Kangaskhan looked a bit sleepy, but she still smiled she gave me the items I requested: a few Big Apples, some

Gravelerocks, a couple Reviver Seeds, an Escape orb (just in case), and a couple other items. I said thanks and checked out the also open Kecleon Shop

if they had anything else useful. They had as usual several items I already had, but as I was leaving something caught my eye.

"How much for this?", I asked, holding up the Red Gummi so Kecleon could see. He smiled and said, "Ah, that Red Gummi is Miss Vulpix's favorite isn't it?

Tell you what...This Gummi is yours, free of charge. My personal gift for you two, just be sure to bring her back." He winked and turned away to sort out

items.

Slightly confused, I quickly said thanks to him as well and headed directly for the Guild. I asked for the directions to Mt. Mistral, but I said it was only for

a mission. I didn't mention what happened to Vulpix to anyone. Last night I had debated with myself about it, but I decided there was no use in

worrrying them, and they would probably just slow me down anyway. I felt it was my fault she was sick and kidnapped, and that it was my burden

to bear.

After getting directions to Mt. Mistral, I went to the Crossroads. I rang up Chimecho on his 'secret' bell to get a replacement partner. Throughout my

and Vulpix's journeys together, we have met and befriended many Pokemon. I asked Chimecho to call out a certain Pokemon. He went up to the Guild

and rang up the Pokemon. When he came down he told me to just wait there. I said thanks, and as Chimecho turned around and headed to the Guild I

heard the faint _tap-tap_ of feet somewhere nearby. I felt the hairs on my neck rise as a sudden heat wave filled the air around me.

"Hello Riolu, it's been a while", said a familiar voice.

I quickly turned around. "Quilava!"

I smiled as I saw my old friend. When Vulpix and I first met him, he was just a low-level Cyndaquil. After we defeated him, he was determined to get

stronger and one day become as good as we were. He kept tagging along us until he finally decided to become a member of our group. He had shared

almost every adventure with us ever since, up until the time we tried to stop the collapse of Temporal Tower. When I disappeared, Quilava was one of

the first Pokemon Vulpix told. The thought of me gone hit him hard, almost as much as Vulpix. When I returned, he was so overjoyed that he decided he

will never let us risk our lives alone again. He decided to move to the Hot Springs so that he could visit us more often.

"Hahaha yes it has...How have you been?", I said.

Quilava looked down and sighed. "Ah, it's been fine. I've been helping keep the Hot Springs warm for old Torkoal, but me and my flames are itching for

adventure again. I long for the old days with just the three of us...hey where is Vulpix anyway?" Suddenly he noticed my uneasiness. "Riolu, what

happened to Vulpix?"

"That's what I wanted you to help me with..." I quickly explained what had happened so far, and as I talked the flame on his back withered more and

more. When I finished talking, he was shaking his head.

"Incuratus Virus...I've heard of if before I met you guys, but I never could have imagined Vulpix would catch it. And to make things worse someone's

kidnapped her..." He looked as stricken as I had when I first heard of it, contemplating what it would be like to lose Vulpix.

Suddenly he said, "No! We just nearly lost you a while back, and now Vulpix? I won't let this happen!" His flames blazed with passion as he spoke.

"Where are we off to now?" That's one of the things I admired in Quilava. He was always full of determination.

"Well, the note said they will be waiting for us at the top of Mt. Mistral. I suspect a trap, but we can't really do anything about that, can we?", I said.

"Yeah...you got your things ready?", he asked.

"Yup. Here's your old Treasure Bag and Badge. Take a look inside." I smiled as I passed it to him.

"My old Dodge Scarf!" he said with glee. Once, he had found that Dodge Scarf when he was really low on HP, and it saved him from an enemy's well

thrown Gravelerock. He has worn it every adventure since then. He quickly put it on, and I donned my Power Band as well.

"Well, we can't save anyone standing around here. Mt. Mistral here we come!"

And with that, we set off on a journey we never knew would change our lives forever.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything associateblahblahBLAH.**_

_****_**I know, STILL no action! I'll get to that, I promise :P As I said previously, I can only make fics when I'm not busy, and I have been VERY busy ****lately. It's less hectic now, but I'll try my best to update more frequently XD **

**Any thoughts or comments on the story? Review and/or PM me :) Follow and Favorite to show your support and inspire me more ;)**

**BTW if any of you are a bit confused at one of the reviews the author _Seirin-chan_ and I are actually friends in real life. Go check out her stories, which are wayyy better than mine. I recommend Celebi's Tale for PMD fans...it's a very well-written story with amazing details and thoroughness :)**

**Here's her link: **_** u/2464054/Seirin-chan**_

**_WhiteCatX319_: Your wish is granted! XD**_**  
**_


	3. Chapter 3: Apples and Exploration

"Quilava! Use your Flamethrower!," I shouted, struggling to carry Mareep. "Give me some cover so we can-" A blast of splintered rocks and smoke exploded near me, leaving a nearby tree charred and snow everywhere. I tried to stand up, but with Mareep it was no good. I ducked behind a boulder and looked back. Quilava had just finished his Flamethrower attack and was about to roll into a Flame Wheel when another blast hit him in the back. I looked at him as he fell down, not getting back up, and that was the last thing I remembered before I felt the freezing icy chill and fainted myself.

**One and a Half Hours Ago**

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!," I shouted towards the top of the tree we were camping in.

"Ugh...I'm still not used to getting up this early," Quilava moaned "...give me five more minutes..."

I sighed and put down the X-Ray Specs I was using to spy on the summit of the mountain. I walked over to the tree, and with a quick charge lightly

Focus Punch'ed it.

"Waah-" Quilava fell, landing on his back. "Alright, alright, I'm up already," he grumbled, rubbing his back and setting it ablaze. "Any change in the summit?" he asked.

"None since we got here," I replied.

We had arrived here earlier than we expected, but not without our own fair share of trouble. However they were mostly wild Pokemon who were wary of us outsiders. Now though, we could tell if would be a very different story going up Mt. Mistral. We used the X-Ray Specs I brought along to try to see any Pokemon in the summit, but there didn't appear to be any.

"Maybe it was all a trap, and Vulpix is somewhere else," Quilava suggested.

"It's too early to tell," I replied. "Besides, we didn't come all this way for nothing. Get your gear ready, we're moving in about five minutes."

I wanted to get to Vulpix as quickly as possible, as she only had days before...before...the Incuratus Virus. _Maybe it would be too late by the time we got her, _I thought._ Maybe she's already gone, and you weren't there for her. Maybe..._

"Hey man, snap out of it," Quilava said as he shook me back into reality. "Hmm...you really do care a lot about Vulpix, do you?"

"More than you know...you all set?"

He looked inside his Treasure Bag and strapped on his Treasure Badge. "Yup, let's go."

As we passed by a Kangaskhan Rock, I told him to wait a minute. I headed toward it and pressed a button on it. It's ears perked up, and mouth opened. "_What do you want to do?_," it asked. "Save the progress," I replied, "also, I would like to retrieve two Big Apples."

_(Optional Reading) _As I spoke my message was traveling in deep underground tunnels dug before by many Diglett and Dugtrio, to a Central Storage that was linked to the Kangaskhan Storage in Treasure Town. The Pokemon working there then relayed my message to Kangaskhan, who dropped in therequested items through a chute. A Golem would then throw the items up towards the appropriate Rock, and I would receive my items in the Kangaskhan's pouch, which was also the chute for depositing items to be stored.

A moment after two Big Apples popped up and I grabbed them. "Thanks, that's all," I said and pressed the button again, closing up the pouch, mouth and ears.

"Here's your breakfast," I said, tossing one towards Quilava. "We should probably save it until we're deep inside the ca- "

"Buuuuurrrp!" Quilava belched. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

I sweatdropped, remembering how fast Quilava's Belly could go empty. He often ate more food items than me and Vulpix combined.

"Um...nevermind. Let's go." We walked up to the mouth of the entrance to Mt. Mistral, and entered.

**Floor 1**

It was dark as we entered the cave. I put my hand on the ground, and gave only a little pulse of aura, as we Riolu don't have the full power over it as Lucario do. I could sense there were only some Pokemon around us. I told Quilava to keep his flames down and avoid going near them. The Pokemon here were mostly high-level Flying types, which was a bigger problem for me than for him. As we explored for the stairs, we encountered a Mothim, who was easy enough for Quilava to take down. We found the stairs soon after.

**Thirty-seven Minutes and 13 Floors Later...**

"Urgghhhh..." Quilava moaned.

"What is it this time?" I asked. "Oh, not your Belly again?" *sigh* "Here, eat this."

I handed him another Big Apple, of which we were quickly running out of. "If we step on a Grimy Trap, you're surely done for," I joked. He gladly accepted and munched on it.

It wasn't only our food that had gone down, though. My PP was running low too, and though we found a lot of Ginseng around and boosted all our moves, that did nothing for our PP. We each only had one Max Elixir left, and I wanted to save mine for whatever was waiting for us at the summit. I resorted to just using normal attacks for now. I knew Quilava was doing the same, though he seemed quite fine just using normal attacks. He seemed happy to finally go out and go exploring again. I smiled that at least one of us was happy.

As we were nearing the stairs, I noticed something strange. I saw a small opening that led to the outside of the mountain. I motioned Quilava over to it. We could just barely fit through.

"Do you think that it's a shortcut going straight to the top? Maybe we were supposed to find this, and it's all a trap," Quilava said, cautious as ever.

"Well, if it means a quicker way to the top(and to Vulpix), I'll take that risk and say we go for it."

I squirmed through the opening, blinking at the sunlight outside. I looked around and saw a path that snaked around a bit, but ended near the top.

"Hey Quilava," I called through the opening back inside, "There really is a shortcut. I'm sure it's faster, but I can't tell if it's all a trap."

"...Quilava?" I said, after hearing no response.

"Quilava!" I rushed back towards the hole, just as his head popped out.

"Sorry!" he said while he fumbled through, carrying four Big Apples.

"I saw these and just had to get them," he said while munching happily on one of them. I sighed, though I was grateful for the food, I knew it wouldn't last very long at this rate.

"Come on, let's go."

And with that we headed along the path towards the top of Mt. Mistral, unbeknownst of the dangers lurking ahead that were expecting us.

It was all indeed a trap.

**-Yay dashes!-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or any related content. Astonishing, isn't it?**

**WOAH! Surprised? So am I! I cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted. Sorry for the long wait guys(and gals). I actually had the rest of the chapters written down on paper, but I mixed and lost them while cleaning up all my old documents and stuff (and soon after forgot about them :P) It was only now that I remembered, though I searched in vain for them. Finally, I sat down, and managed to do the unthinkable. RE. WRITE. EVERYTHING. (starting again from where I left off). I can only remember some parts of the story...though I will continue to look for the rest of them. My sincerest apologies again, and I'll try not to be uber late again next time :P**

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**-Yay more dashes!-**


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